Horne argues in favor of Arizona's law requiring proof of citizenship to vote

PHOENIX (Tuesday, June 21, 2011) -- Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne defended Arizona’s voter registration law before an 11 member en banc panel of the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, Ca. this afternoon.

In the Gonzales v. State of Arizona case, a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled earlier that Arizona cannot require people registering to vote to provide proof of citizenship. The Ninth Circuit granted en banc review, which is an 11 judge panel rather than three.

“It is vital to the integrity of our election process that only citizens are allowed to vote,” Horne said. “Arizona voters approved the law that requires anyone who wants to vote to provide information showing they are citizens. Arizona voters expect that their votes will not be diluted by non-citizens and that the integrity of the process will be preserved. That is why I am passionate about defending this law.”

A video of the hearing will be available online at http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov. (The court may have the video available by this evening. The release is not controlled by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.)